Michigan gay marriage ban ruled unconstitutional by federal judge

A federal judge struck down the law banning gay marriage in Michigan, saying it was unconstitutional. This ruling made Michigan the 18th state in the nation to allow gays and lesbians to marry.

Since December, Texas, Utah, Oklahoma and Virginia have each had their bans on same-sex marriage overturned. However there have been appeals to them since.

According to The Associated Press, U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman ruled on the ban after a two-week trial that focused on the impact of raising children in an environment where both parents are the same sex.

In 2004, the state had voted in favor of marriage being exclusively between a man and a woman by 59 percent.

This ruling impacts two lesbian nurses, who sued as they were unable to jointly adopt their three children since in Michigan it is tied exclusively to marriage. All three of these children have special needs.

Friedman ruled that the nurses were right in arguing that they were denied their right to get married and adopt each other's children as reported by The Detroit Free Press.